Quick Reference Please note that you must read the full Call document for guidance before submitting your proposal (From page 3) Supergen Leaders Offshore Renewable Energy Call type: Invitation for proposals/expression of interest Closing date: 20 April 2017 Funding Available: 150,000 for one successful six month grant How to apply: This is the first of the two-stage process; the successful candidate will be invited to the second stage. Applicants must submit full proposals by 20 April 2017, via Je-S. Assessment Process: Proposals will be assessed via a prioritisation panel of experts. Key Dates: Activity Date Call Open 02 February 2017 EoI Close 23 March 2017 Call Close 20 April 2017 Expert Sift W/C 15 May 2017 (TBC) Expert Panel 24 / 25 May 2017 Decisions to the applicant 01 June2017 Authorise Grant 30 June 2017 Start Date By 01 July 2017 HLG review points August & October 2017 Version3 June 2016 Page 1 of 17
End date No later than 31 December 2017 Additional information: University employed industrial, non-academic (such as business development mangers) or other seconded staff are welcome to apply. Contacts: Celia Yeung (celia.yeung@epsrc.ac.uk) Glenn Goodall (glenn.goodall@epsrc.ac.uk) Version3 June 2016 Page 2 of 17
Supergen Leaders Offshore Renewable Energy Summary Call type: Invitation for proposals/expression of interest Closing date: 20 April 2017 at 16:00 Related themes: Energy This Supergen Leaders call is the first of a two stage process designed to launch the next phase of the Supergen Programme, the process includes: Stage 1) Supergen Leaders call Aimed at identifying a leader and building a consortium Stage 2) Supergen hub call Invited stage for full proposals for a new Supergen hub This stage features a competition to identify the appropriate Research Leader for a future Supergen hub, in Offshore Renewable Energy. The successful candidate will be provided with six months worth of funding and support from EPSRC (when required) to consult with the wider research community, build a multidisciplinary consortium and plan a programme of research. Only the successful candidate will be invited to prepare a full application for the Supergen hub and will need to submit this application soon after the end of the first stage six month grant. Although proposals will be administered by EPSRC, applications are welcomed from those who are usually funded via other Research Councils which form part of the RCUK Energy Programme (i.e. BBSRC, ESRC, NERC and STFC). Please see the Eligibility section for more information. Up to 150K is available for this initial stage of the process, which will cover the six months that the successful applicant will build their consortia. This can be used to buy-out teaching (if required), fund networking activities, workshops and general admin support during this period. All proposals for this initial stage must be received by 16:00 on Thursday 20 April 2017 through the Research Councils Joint electronic System (Je-S). These proposals will be assessed at an expert review panel, to be held on 24 and 25 May 2016, and the applicant will be asked to join the panel members to discuss their proposal. Version3 June 2016 Page 3 of 17
A mandatory Expression of Interest, for this first stage, must be submitted to be EPSRC before 16.00 on the 23 March 2017, applicants that do not register with their intent will have their applications rejected (for the questions, please see Annex 2). Please consider reading the following: Supergen Review 2016 report (http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/energy/supergenreviewreportspreadw eb-pdf/ - independent review panel lead) EPSRC Implementation Plan (http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/energy/supergenreviewimplementatio nplan-pdf/) Supergen Programme Strategy (http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/energy/supergenprogrammestrategypdf/ - academic lead) Background From 30 August to 01 September 2016, a review of the Supergen Programme was carried by an independent panel of experts, which resulted in the publication of their findings. The core recommendations in this report, included: Improving communication and engagement with stakeholders Adopting a more whole energy systems approach Working more collaboratively across the hubs in cross-cutting areas Scope for some clustering of hubs under common, aligned areas Embedding an equality and diversity (E&D) strategy at the Supergen Programme level As a reaction to the Supergen Review 2016 report and subsequent consultation with advice streams (including the Supergen High level Group, Scientific Advice Committee as well as Innovate UK and BEIS), EPSRC has published its implementation plan for the next phase of the Supergen Programme. These documents, together with the Supergen Programme Strategy, have directly influenced the creation of this call for proposals. One key outcome of consulting with our advice streams was that it was agreed that the next phase of the Supergen Programme should provide research leadership which includes the following elements (see EPSRC Implementation plan for full details): A research leader Communication and engagement A distributed hub management structure National and International focus A development programme Version3 June 2016 Page 4 of 17
In addition, the next phase of the Supergen Programme would carry out and commission research within a coordinated framework focussing on a community led programme of fundamental to applied research, of national importance. The Programme should use multidisciplinary research to address high impact user, industrial and government inspired problems whilst also covering adventurous discovery-led investigations. Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) hub Offshore Wind Power and Marine Energy were two areas highlighted by the Supergen Review 2016 report as having sufficient common or aligned research challenges as well as synergies in technologies to merit clustering. Creating this new Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy hub will continue to support and build on the existing academic capacity within these three internationally leading UK research areas (wind, wave and tidal technology), whilst also enabling shared learning on common research challenges. It will be a prerequisite that the new Supergen ORE hub will have a role working with the ORE Catapult and KTN in establishing and ensuring the success of the new Offshore Wind Innovation Hub (funded by Innovate UK and BEIS). The OW ihub is designed to disseminate information to industry and link challenge owners (industry) with SMEs and academia. This will allow fundamental and applied research to feed into addressing the high TRL challenges currently facing the offshore renewables industry for maximum impact. We would also expect the new ORE hub to also consider social and environmental aspects, as well as integrate where appropriate with the other Supergen hubs. For more information about EPSRC s portfolio and strategies, see our website: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/research/ourportfolio/ Version3 June 2016 Page 5 of 17
Funding available A grant for up to 150K is available from EPSRC for a period of six months. This grant must start before 30 June 2017 and end no later than 31 December 2017. The funding can be used for the following: Buying out teaching, if applicable Full time admin support Research Associates (RAs) to help with workshops, etc. Travel, networking, venues, etc. Applications are welcome from academics that job share, have a part time contract or those currently committed to other longer, large existing grants (centres, hubs, programme grants, CDT, etc.) which are due to end with enough time to enable the applicant to be able to fulfil the research leader role. In these cases, it would be acceptable to include supporting Co-Investigators. If you intend to add a Co-I, please contacted EPSRC before applying (contact details towards the end of this call). Equipment Equipment is not available through this call. For more information on equipment funding, please see: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/research/facilities/equipment/ Eligibility The successful applicant must be able to show they can fulfil the assessment criteria (See Assessment Criteria and Person specification) and become the Supergen research leader. The Supergen Review 2016 report recommended that EPSRC broaden the scope of the Supergen Programme to include the full RCUK Energy Programme spectrum. In response to this, EPSRC has sought co-funding from other RCUK Energy Programme councils (BBSRC, ESRC, NERC and STFC), where practical and also welcomes applications from those who receive funding from any of those Research Councils. Ideally, the successful applicant would have a research, industrial and / or policy background with a clear grasp of the multidisciplinary research make-up in their chosen Supergen hub s area. University employed industrial, non-academic (such as business development mangers) or other seconded staff are welcome to apply. However, these must be classified as an academic employee or equivalent with a University or other eligible organisation. They must be registered with their institution in the Research Councils Joint electronic Submission (Je-S) System. Their contract must last beyond the duration of the initial six month grant, at this stage, and the full term of the Supergen if successful. Version3 June 2016 Page 6 of 17
Academics with fixed term contracts may also apply, again, as long as their contract lasts beyond the duration of the initial six month grant, at this stage, and the full term of the Supergen if successful. If the applicant s contract does not cover the full term of the subsequent Supergen hub, then they will be required to provide a letter from their institution guaranteeing that their contract will be extended, should they be successful at the first stage. Flexibility of working Following the publication of the RCUK Statement of Expectations for Equality and Diversity, EPSRC are committed to supporting the research community in the diverse ways a research career can be built with our investments, looking at career breaks, flexible working and alternative working patterns. With this in mind, academics that job share, have a part time contract or those currently committed to other longer, large existing grants are very welcome to apply. However, please note that the timeframe for the six month grant has rigid startby and end-by dates. If you believe there is a possibility that your specific circumstances might led to difficulty in adhering to these dates, please provide a mitigation plan which could include having a Co-I on you r grant. As this call is a targeted funding opportunity provided by EPSRC, higher education institutions, and some research council institutes and independent research organisations are eligible to apply. A list of eligible organisations to apply to EPSRC is provided at: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/funding/eligibilityforrcs/ For information on the eligibility of organisations and individuals to receive EPSRC funding, see the EPSRC Funding Guide: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/fundingguide/ How to apply Stage 1: Expressions of Interest (EoI) Before submitting the full grant proposal to the first stage (the Supergen Leaders call), applicants must first complete an EoI (Questions in Annex 2). This allows EPSRC can assess demand, give feedback on applicants fit to the assessment criteria as detailed below. Stage 1: Full proposals Applicants can apply for funds to provide administrative support, buy-out teaching time (if required), fund venues costs, travel and networking events or workshops. Note that the applicant would be able to ask for facilitation support from EPSRC and mentor support from the Supergen High Level Group where necessary. There will be no formal postal peer review at this stage of the process; instead the proposals will be reviewed by an independent panel of experts made up of users and those with experience of running large centres or holding research leader-type roles, etc. Up to four applicants will be also asked to join the expert panel for an interview and discussion on how they fit the person specification (see above) and how they would successfully build a Supergen consortium in the Version3 June 2016 Page 7 of 17
allotted six months as well as answer any question the panel may have around their application. This will include the following documentation: 1) Personal statement Up to six A4 pages (use Case for Support in Je-S) The first page should describe the applicant s vision for the research area and the following pages should cover: How the applicant fits the assessment criteria and person specification identifying any gaps and how the applicant will fulfil these aspects. The applicant should give relevant examples for each criterion. Why the applicant wants the role and what they will bring to it How they will be a research leader to the community How will the applicant manage other, existing commitments in order to build a successful consortium At this stage we are looking for a single leader, however, applications are also welcome if the applicant has part-time working patterns or is applying as part of a job-share and will require a Co-Investigator. In this case the role of the Co-I must also be defined. 2) Applicant s CV Up to two A4 pages This should include: Your employment history, listed in reverse order. Your academic or professional qualification history, listed in reverse order. The dates of any degrees obtained Track record of research funding: include start/end dates, funding body, value of award, type of grant (e.g. first grant, fellowship, etc.), your role on the grant (PI, Co-I, Researcher, etc.) Any current teaching or large project commitments Any current administrative activities e.g. may include editorial responsibilities, committee membership, networking activities, etc Other, e.g. may include invited talks, awards, prizes, memberships of professional bodies, etc 3) Consortium engagement plan Up to five A4 pages (Use Workplan in Je-S) Applicant will detail how they intend to engage with the wider research community to build a multidisciplinary consortium and their approach to establishing a strategy. This will include: How they will consult with the community to build a community led programme of research Version3 June 2016 Page 8 of 17
How the applicant will identify the key research questions which underpin the Supergen hubs high level remit Detail how they would build a management team what skills they d be looking for and how they envisage their hub functioning The applicant should also include a Gantt chart detailing their plan for the six month Supergen leader grant which will result in a formed Supergen consortium, programme of research and a full application for stage two. Please note that RCUK staff, the Supergen High Level Group and the RCUK Energy Programme Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) will monitor the progress of this plan, during the course of the six month Supergen Leader grant. 4) Host organisation statement Up to two A4 pages The Head of Department (through consultation with colleagues as appropriate) at the host organisation must complete a statement (two sides A4) in support of the application. The statement should be on Departmental or University headed paper, should be dated, and should clearly state the position held by the author (For example Head of Department of Electrical Engineering and so on). The statement must include details of the following considerations: The statement should identify the key characteristics and skills that the applicant has, which the institution feels highlights the applicant s ability to succeed as a research leader The level of support that the host institution will be giving the applicant both as a standard career development package that is open to all staff and additional support as part of the institution s backing of their applicant to be successful in the competition Give details for any support beyond career development (i.e. dedicated admin support, mentoring, etc.) 5) Justification of resources Up to two A4 pages This should be a narrative description of the need for the resources requested. This can include administrative support, buying out teaching time (if required), funding workshops, venues, travel and networking events. Any consumables entered under Equipment should be explained here. You are recommended to follow the 'cost to the proposal' headings used in the application form. Stage 2: Full proposals Successful applicants to Stage one will be invited to stage two, where they will be able to submit a full proposal for a Supergen Hub. Submitting an application You should prepare and submit your proposal using the Research Councils Joint electronic Submission (Je-S) System (https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/). When adding a new proposal, you should select: Council EPSRC Version3 June 2016 Page 9 of 17
Document type Standard Proposal Scheme Standard On the Project Details page you should select the Supergen Leaders Call 2017 call. Note that clicking submit document on your proposal form in Je-S initially submits the proposal to your host organisation s administration, not to EPSRC. Please allow sufficient time for your organisation s submission process between submitting your proposal to them and the call closing date. EPSRC must receive your application by 16:00 on 20 April 2017. Guidance on the types of support that may be sought and advice on the completion of the research proposal forms are given on the EPSRC website (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/) which should be consulted when preparing all proposals. Assessment Upon completion of the Expressions of Interest (EoI) in March 2017, applicants will be given feedback about the number of applications, the projected success rate and fit to call. EPSRC reserves the right to reject any applications which are deemed out of remit and do not fit the assessment criteria. Sift stage process Shortly after the main deadline in April 2017, the expert panel will sift the stage 1 full applications, to the Supergen Leaders call, using the criteria detailed below and invite a maximum of four strongest applicants to interview stage. Interview process The proposals will not be assessed by postal peer review, as the applicants will be assessed by an independent panel of experts, with membership drawn from those with experience of RCUK leadership roles or longer larger grants and fellowships. The applicants will be invited to an interview in late May and will be asked to give a brief 10 minute verbal presentation on a specific topic, designed to test the applicant s strategic thinking. The details of this presentation and the topic will be included in the interview invitation. The expert panel will then rank the applicants based on the assessment criteria and person specification (see the next section). Unsuccessful applicants will be given feedback from the panel on their proposal. Successful leader candidates Following the expert panel, the successful PIs will be invited to a meeting with RCUK Energy Programme staff and Supergen High Level Group, in Swindon, to be presented with the Supergen hub call document (Stage 2), high level remit for their particular hub and a list of individuals and groups the applicants should arrange to meet. The successful grants will be monitored by RCUK staff, the Supergen High Level Group and members of the RCUK Energy Programme Scientific Advisory Version3 June 2016 Page 10 of 17
Committee to ensure that an appropriate consortium is built and integrity of the subsequent full application. All successful applicants will be strongly encouraged to consult with relevant, existing RCUK Energy Programme investments such as The UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), the End-use Energy Demand(EUED) centres, the Energy NEXUS, Networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (NIBB), etc. In particular, the applicants will be directed to the existing Supergen hubs to initiate formal Supergen Directors Group meetings as well as to decide the boundaries and overlaps between the new and existing hubs. Assessment Criteria and Person specification It is highly recommended that the applicants read the Supergen Review 2016 report, the EPSRC implementation plan and Supergen Programme Strategy before applying. Since this is an assessment of the applicant and their ability to lead, the standard RCUK assessment criteria, such as quality of research, national importance and impact, do not apply to this stage of the process. Instead, a competency-based person specification is used to describe the desired qualities, skills, experience, and attributes expected to be demonstrated by a successful applicant, as provided in the table below. Note, the role isn t just about research coordination, but is more outward facing in terms of engagement with users and understanding the research landscape. Attribute Subset Criteria The candidate Thought leadership The applicant must: - Demonstrate that they are mindful of the current research landscape beyond their own particular research focus area - Show evidence that they are able to assemble key information across disciplines to build a compelling narrative and communicate this, effectively, to the right stakeholders at the right time - Be able to demonstrate how they have given advice to or influenced industrial users of the research and policy makers Inspirational team leader The applicant must: - Demonstrate their ability to guide and inspire others and to identify and maximise potential in others (i.e. get the best out of people) - Describe how they would deliver a hubwide plan to support and develop early career researchers as future leaders as well as providing a supportive environment from an equality and diversity (E&D) perspective Version3 June 2016 Page 11 of 17
Whole systems view Communication and engagement skills Community ambassador Strategic vision Track record of coordinating research and translation Understanding of the energy landscape Communication The applicant must: - Give evidence of a profile within the research community for research excellence - Demonstrate they can act as a figurehead for the Supergen specific community - Demonstrate how they would act as an ambassador and advocate for a research field / theme and for research in general The applicant must: - Be a strategic thinker who is focused on ensuring the multidisciplinary research achieves maximum impact - Demonstrate an aptitude for identifying, exploring and developing research opportunities more broadly and across different interfaces - Demonstrate where they have positioned themselves to take-up opportunities and have the ability to make decisions to deliver their vision The applicant has a track record of running a programme of outstanding multidisciplinary research, delivering demonstrable impact and translating research outputs to users (e.g. to industry, the innovation infrastructure or HM Government) at both the national and international level. The applicant can demonstrate that they are not just narrowly focused on their specific research but are aware of where that research fits into the greater whole energy system. They will also have a good understanding of the interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary research which is required to form a meaningful and cohesive programme of research Demonstrates excellent communication and interpersonal skills and aspire to develop these further across a broad audience. The leader will also be responsible for ensuring that outputs from the Supergen hub are clearly branded as such Version3 June 2016 Page 12 of 17
Engagement They will be expected to implement comprehensive stakeholder mapping exercises needed to identify common audiences, which will enable tailoring of content. It is recognised that the skills needed for effective knowledge exchange may not, necessarily, reside with the leader but they should be able to facilitate others to carry out these tasks Host institute environment Resources and Management The host institute must demonstrate how it will support the applicant during the six month grant. It must also demonstrate commitment to developing the applicant s career. The applicant must be able to justify the planning and project management of the six month grant, including the management of any staff requested. They must be able to demonstrate that the resources requested in this application are justified and appropriate for delivering the proposed outcomes. They must identify the main risks and put contingencies in place Submissions to this call will count towards the Repeatedly Unsuccessful Applicants Policy. Further information about the policy can be found at: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/basics/resubpol/rua/ Key dates Activity Date Call Open 02 February 2017 EoI Close 23 March 2017 Call Close 20 April 2017 Expert Sift W/C 15 May 2017 (TBC) Expert Panel 24 / 25 May 2017 Decisions to the applicant 01 June2017 Authorise Grant 30 June 2017 Start Date By 01 July 2017 HLG review points August & October 2017 End date No later than 31 December 2017 Version3 June 2016 Page 13 of 17
Contacts Main contact: Dr Glenn Goodall EPSRC Energy Theme / RCUK Energy Programme EPSRC, Polaris House, Swindon, SN2 1ET Tel: +44 (0) 1793 444 427 Email: glenn.goodall@epsrc.ac.uk General enquiries: Dr Celia Yeung EPSRC Energy Theme / RCUK Energy Programme EPSRC, Polaris House, Swindon, SN2 1ET Tel: +44 (0) 1793 444 426 Email: celia.yeung@epsrc.ac.uk If you have problems using Je-S or have questions regarding its use, the helpdesk contact details are: Email: JeSHelp@rcuk.ac.uk Phone: +44 (0) 1793 444 164 Please contact your organisation s research office for help with the application process. Allow enough time before the closing date for your organisation s submission process. Change log Name Date Version Change Glenn Goodall 25 Jan 2017 1 N/A Version3 June 2016 Page 14 of 17
Appendices Annex 1: Offshore Renewable Energy remit The new Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) hub would be expected to address research challenges related to non-technology specific themes (i.e. common to wind, wave and tidal technologies) in addition to any sector specific requirements. The high level themes include: Cost reductions / Economics LCOE, CAPEX reduction, increased yield and reduced OPEX, economic viability, scalability, etc Risk and safety De-risking at all stages of project development cycle design and planning but in particular installation, operation and maintenance (O&M). Safety of personnel and minimised human presence in hazardous areas Environmental factors and interactions Degradations, biofouling and potential barriers to development Sustainable use of the natural resources Resource characterisation Foundations, structures, moorings and platforms Cumulative marine environmental interactions including the study of wake and turbulence interactions as well as fluid-dynamic modelling Resilience Including condition monitoring and remote sensing of asset integrity. Use of materials, etc, to ensure longevity in an environmentally sound manner. Optimised array design, spatial planning and design tools / generic design decision algorithms Installation, operation and maintenance (O&M) Data collection (or access), curation, sign-posting and modal validation Power connections to shore Power systems to maximise efficiency, reliability and yield as well as transmission technology Social-technical factors, for example, understanding the issues surrounding public acceptance, governance, decision-making processes (e.g. site location) and impact on surrounding region Identifying and defining technology gaps (such as floating wind), leading to technology convergence (i.e. tidal and wave devices) Array decommissioning / replacement technology strategy Annex 2: Statement of Intent / Expression of Interest (EoI) Below are the questions that will be asked at the EoI stage, which must be submitted via the EPSRC website (Smart Survey): Name, Email address, Institution and division or department Which Supergen hub are you applying to lead (choose one only)? Version3 June 2016 Page 15 of 17
Brief describe your main research area of expertise - up to 300 words Briefly describe what experience you have of leading 'longer larger'-type grants - up to 300 words If you intent to have a few Co-Is to support you in building a consortium, please give their details below (this is optional) Summary of Resources Required for the Project (up to 150K, 80% fec) Version3 June 2016 Page 16 of 17
Je-S attachments Check List Standard: Attachment Type Maximum Page length Mandatory/Optional Extra Guidance Personal Statement (use Case for Support in Je-S) Consortium engagement plan (use Workplan in Je-S) 6 pages M Comprising up to six A4 sides describing how the applicant fits the specification and criteria. 5 page M Detail how they intend to engage with the wider research community Justification for Resources 2 pages M Applicant s CV 2 pages each M Host organisation statement Letters of Support Proposal Cover Letter 2 pages M Host organisation must complete a statement (two sides A4) in support of the application No page limits As Required In exceptional circumstances a maximum of three letters can be submitted. No page limit As required The cover letter can be used to highlight any important information to EPSRC. This attachment type is not seen by reviewers or panel members. Version3 June 2016 Page 17 of 17